“Theese eeese pure eediocy!” –a German professor’s response at a faculty meeting regarding accreditation recommendations to put an outreach program to attract female STEM students inside of an outreach program to attract female STEM students. The previous sentence is typed as intended. While people “on the inside” of science can quickly answer the title of […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Identity politics destroying science?
How playful design is transforming university education
A group of 25 interns sit at Baycrest Health Sciences, a research centre for aging in Canada, their eyes glued to their smart phones. They are playing SOS — an award-winning game that simulates real-world gerontology practice — where they compete with other students to earn virtual currency. Across town, a group of professors sit around a table at George Brown […] … learn more→
Social media support needs to go beyond self-branding
Times Higher Education’s timely and thought-provoking feature article on the ups and downs of social media in academia struck a loud, resonant chord with me. A few years back I deleted my Twitter account, subsequently blitzed my personal YouTube channel, and put my blog on an extended hiatus. This act of social media suicide – […] … learn more→
Why the Democrats’ new ‘debt-free’ college plan won’t really make college debt-free
Rising student loan debt and concerns about college affordability got considerable attention from Democrats in the 2016 presidential campaign. Those issues are bound to get renewed attention since House Democrats recently introduced the Aim Higher Act – an effort to update the Higher Education Act, the federal law that governs federal higher education programs. The bill promises […] … learn more→
Don’t assume online students are more likely to cheat. The evidence is murky
More university students are choosing to study online rather than face-to-face, prompting concerns about academic integrity. If you’re tempted to cheat in face-to-face courses, even during exams, how much easier would it be to pass off work that isn’t your own when you’re online? But research by us and others shows how university courses are delivered […] … learn more→
Racist banana = Spend $121,000,000 on diversity
The student loan scam had led to a deluge of money raining down on our campuses. There seems to be nothing stopping our leaders in higher ed from pouring that money on a wide array of useless expenditures. I know, Social Justice Warrior lunatics have taken control of many of our campuses and they want […] … learn more→
Environmental scientists must learn the language of literature
Human destruction of nature is rapidly eroding the world’s capacity to provide food, water and security to billions of people. That is the dismal conclusion of the most comprehensive study of biodiversity ever conducted, involving more than 550 experts from more than 100 countries. The research, published in March, was carried out under the auspices […] … learn more→
Access to studies for refugees: a fundamental right too little respected
Around the world, the rate of access to the university is progressing. From an average overall level of 36%, it rises to 76% in regions such as Europe and North America. A movement whose refugees stay away. Of the 65 million refugees registered worldwide in 2018, 61% are young. But only 1% of them are […] … learn more→
The evidence that active learning is more effective than lecturing is overwhelming
I was initially annoyed at Times Higher Education’s article on my talk at the THE Teaching Excellence Summit (“Don’t believe the anti-lecture myths, says Glasgow vice-principal”) but then I realised that the article was demonstrating just what I said. How could I complain? I said that most university administrators were unfamiliar with this research – a […] … learn more→
Will your College survive the next decade?
Inside Higher Education (IHE) released its 2018 Survey of College and University Business Officers last week. While the findings vary across the different sectors of American higher education, many are sobering, especially for four-year private colleges. Many Small, Private Colleges’ Financial State is Perilous According to the IHE survey, conducted in partnership with Gallup, “44 percent of chief financial officers […] … learn more→
